30 Jul 2023

The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has made great strides in implementation of its 2019 general elections manifesto.

The revitalised economy after the devastating COVID-19 pandemic was an indicator of the country’s resilience, thanks to BDP leadership, said President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi during a political rally to welcome Mr Pono Moatlhodi back into the party in Tonota on Saturday.

 The World Bank report shows that even though Botswana’s economy contracted by 8.7 per cent due to COVID-19 in 2020, the economy has since re-bounded strongly.

“We have been given a pat on the back by many African heads of state for doing a stellar job as a country,” President Masisi said, promising that government would continue to work hard to ensure that the workforce welfare was taken care of.

In other issues, President Masisi called upon the opposition coalition, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), to explain to Batswana the reason why it downplayed the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic that claimed many lives.

The UDC, President Masisi said, should not be allowed to go into the 2024 general elections without first being taken to task to explain its stance, which misled the nation.

Furthermore, President Masisi said the UDC had after losing elections in 2019 approached the courts claiming that there was election fraud, but there was no supporting evidence to strengthen their case.

The case was later dismissed by the courts.

The position by the opposition, he said, was a desperate ploy to fan chaos and steal elections.

Also, President Masisi told multitudes that gathered at the Makobeng freedom square that he had nothing to hide as far as his assets were concerned.

He said those who suspected he could be amassing wealth inappropriately were at liberty to report to relevant authorities.

He said he remained a supporter of the Asset declaration act, which monitored the interests, income and liabilities of certain categories of people to curb misappropriation.

For his part, Mr Moatlhodi, who is Tonota MP and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, told of his ‘painful’ albeit short stay at the UDC.

The UDC, he said, was devoid of peace and its leadership suppressed divergent views; something he said left him with no choice but to return to the BDP.

BDP stalwarts and veterans alike, he said, also did not relent in their pursuit to have him return to the BDP.

The party also welcomed defectors and new members into its fold and called on democrats to start a serious recruitment exercise going into 2024. Ends